Hi Mat
I guess we can discuss energy being random, unidirectional and less functional, or a more pure form of constant motion that leaves one stable and supported. It is NOT all the same. Nor is the spiritual path to mind and body in creating power.
I will never agree with Doshu with "it doesn't matter so much what we're practicing as long as we're sincerely practicing[/b] model. It's so neutral and useless....by itself it has lead to more wasted decades than anything I can think of.
Dan

That's my understanding: The goal is to take the essentially random, single-dimensional movements and make them cohesive and omni-directional. Through practice the goal is to take parts and make them more cohesive members of the whole. This is where it helps to go out and experience other methods, to find new things to consciously add to our movements.
Regarding Doshu's remarks though: I agree the part that only talks about being sincere is, by itself, not enough, but I took his meaning to include the necessity for interaction...for going out and directly sampling each others' training. I took it to mean, if we're sincere in our efforts to learn, we should feel what other people are doing; we can then take it or leave it based on whatever our personal values are.
It made me think of what you're doing, going out and sharing your training with a wide variety of people and methods of training; of your past comments about Ueshiba being a kind of MMA guy.